Tess Returns
by crazytomboy78
Summary: Tess returns to the city a year after her first visit to see the gang, but this time around Tony and Pepper have plans for her visit...and they involve Rhodey! What is this crazy couple up to? Includes RhodeyxOC and Pepperony. Sequel to My Old Friend Tess.
1. Prologue

Tony and Pepper were sprawled out on the couch at the Stark home, relaxing on a Friday night, watching a movie. Howard had moved to the basement to work on some projects when he saw that his son had come home with his girlfriend, knowing they wanted alone time.

"I kinda feel bad for Rhodey." Tony said once they had settled on something to watch.

"Why?" Pepper asked.

"Well every time we have a date night he kind of just sits at home with his mom." Tony explained. "Well, at least he has lately."

"Hmm…maybe Rhodey needs a girlfriend?" Pepper said just as her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag, forming a smile when she saw that the caller ID was Tess.

"Hey Tess, what's up?" Pepper answered.

"_I've got some great news! My mom and I loved our visit last summer so much that we've decided that she's going to send me every summer for two weeks!" _ Tess explained. Pepper's smile widened upon hearing her friend's news.

"That's awesome! We loved seeing you, I'm so glad I get to see you again!" Pepper responded.

"_Gee, Pep, you seem a lot more enthusiastic now that there's no huge crush for me to steal from you."_ Tess said teasingly.

"Oh, shutup!" Pepper responded. Tony smirked and rested his feet on the coffee table as he got an idea about what they were talking about.

"_Speaking of, how are you guys doing?"_ Tess asked.

"Pretty well, actually, we're still dating." Pepper answered.

"Hi Tess," Tony exclaimed into Pepper's phone, knowing for sure that they were talking about him now.

"_Hi Tony," _Tess responded with a smirk. _"Umm…so, this is kinda random, but has Rhodey been seeing anyone lately?" _

"Umm, no, why?" Pepper responded, suddenly hatching an idea.

"_N-no reason, just wondering, that's all…" _Tess answered. Pepper could tell by the way she had asked that her West Virginian friend was nervous about asking.

"Well nice talking to you Tess but I gotta go now, text you later bye!" Pepper said excitedly as she hung up the phone and turned back towards Tony.

"Why are you so excited?" Tony asked, amused.

"Rhodey needs a girlfriend and I think I know the perfect candidate." Pepper said, trying to hold back her excitement. Tony, before responding, thought for a moment.

"Wait, you mean…Rhodey and Tess?" He asked, a smirk forming on his cheeks. Pepper nodded excitedly.

"You know…I can actually see that happening." Tony said, sporting his trademark playboy smile. "You know, Rhodey always nudged us about admitting our feelings. Maybe it's time we…repaid the favor?" Tony explained.

"Oh my god, we are totally setting them up!" Pepper squealed. The two exchanged evil laughs as they mapped out their devious plan together.

**Before you shoot me, this chapter is short because its more of a prologue than a chapter 1. But stay tuned for a chapter 1!**

**To explain the story a little further, it's an experiment. I've been wanting to write something for a while now and writing this is...eh, I don't know. I was looking through all my stories for a good sequel, and when I stumbled upon My Old Friend Tess, I thought it'd be a good idea. Tess was a fun character to use and I'll enjoy bringing her back. **

**But anyways, I gotta go, and I'm probably boring everyone by babbling, so review!**


	2. Reunion & Strange Feelings

A few days later, Tess was landing in New York, eager to see one old friend and two new ones. Little did she know, that one old one had hatched a plan for her visiting friend.

"_Hello?" _ Tess answered, once she heard her phone ringing.

"Tess! I'm glad I caught you!" Pepper exclaimed. "Look, I know you're probably just stepping off the plane in the airport but a you-know-what emergency has come up that Tony and I need to deal with, so Rhodey's going to be picking you up." Pepper explained, smiling as she tried to stifle her giggles.

"_Oh, uh, okay. I guess I'll see you after?" _Tess responded, forgetting momentarily about her friends' secret.

"Yeah, see you! Can't wait, see you later gotta go bye!" Pepper said hurriedly, hanging up quickly to add to the Iron Man emergency effect. Once she hung up, she and Tony giggled as they stood in the armory. As the next part of their plan, Tony dialed Rhodey's cell.

"_Hey T, what's up?" _Rhodey answered.

"Hey, Rhodey, I need you to do us a favor," Tony said.

"_Like what?"_

"I need you to go pick up Tess at the airport for Pepper, there's an Iron Man emergency and I need her help." Tony explained.

"Iron Man emergency? Like what? I can handle it for you guys."

"Uh, no, I need Pepper for this one. It's a stakeout thing, and I need some stealth…plus I need some of Rescue's tech. Pepper or I will stop by to bring her to Pepper's apartment once we're done." Tony explained. Rhodey sighed.

"_Alright, I guess. When_ _does she get in?" _Rhodey asked.

"Oh, uh…now. Sorry for the short notice, the Iron Man thing just came up." Tony explained.

"_You've got to be kidding me." _Rhodey complained.

"Sorry dude, but I gotta go. Thanks a lot, I owe you one." Tony explained, hanging up hastily. Tony and Pepper giggled about their plan as they enjoyed their alone time.

~…~

After hanging up the phone with Pepper, I went to the baggage claim to get my suitcase. She sounded weird on the phone, but I knew to shrug it off. I know Pepper, and weird is her normal. Hey, that's what happens when you date a rich, famous, brilliant inventor and superhero. I didn't really mind too much, though, because they at least had the decency to send Rhodey for me. Rhodey's cool.

After a few- okay, _many _minutes, I finally found my suitcase and headed for the lobby to find Rhodey. I pulled my phone back out of my pocket and called him.

"_Hello?" _He answered. Suddenly, somehow triggered by hearing his voice, I felt a strange feeling wash over me. I had an itching feeling I knew what it was, but I knew it wasn't possible.

"Hey, are you here yet?" I asked, suddenly feeling nervous. What's wrong with me today? It's just Rhodey, what's so nerve-wracking?

"_Walking into the lobby as we speak. Oh, I think I see you, just stay where you are." _

I hung up after I heard his side of the line go dead, and before I could do anything else I heard my name ringing through the lobby. I turned around to see Rhodey waving at me and calling my name, walking towards me with a smile.

Now, you remember that weird feeling I said I felt? Well, once I turned around and saw him for the first time in a year, I felt it again- except this time it came back even stronger. And, call me crazy- which I think I am- but in that moment, I swear my heart skipped a beat. I didn't want to believe it, though.

"Hey, Rhodey!" I said, walking over to meet him halfway.

"Great to see you, how've you been?" Rhodey asked with a wide smile on his face.

"I've been pretty excellent! How about you?" I asked in return as we headed for the lobby doors.

"Oh, do you want me to take anything for you?" Rhodey asked quickly.

"Oh, no thanks, I've got it." I answered.

"Alright," He said with a shrug. "But anyways, I've been pretty great."

"How have Tony and Pepper been?" I asked, curious about my best friend's relationship. I have to admit, they do kind of seem perfect for each other.

"Oh, those two are as inseparable as ever. If you thought they spent a lot of time together before, you haven't seen anything yet."

"Really? Doesn't that make you feel third-wheeled at all?" I asked as we climbed into a cab and told the driver where to go.

"Naw. We're all best friends, it's just that now the only thing different is two of us are dating. It's kinda hard to explain, but I don't really feel like a third wheel unless they start getting all romantic and stuff."

"Then it gets kinda awkward, huh?" I asked with a smirk.

"Little bit. But hey, that's what I get for having two best friends that are dating." He responded. His answer made me chuckle a bit, and with the chuckle the strange, annoying feeling from earlier came back. We were silent for a little bit before Rhodey finally said something.

"Oh, by the way, you realize Tony and Pepper aren't dealing with Iron Man business right?" Rhodey asked.

"No, I thought they actually had you-know-what stuff to do. Why, is it a trick?" I asked, confused. It had sounded pretty convincing to me.

"No, they're not. I know Tony, and I could tell by his voice that he was just pulling a little prank. Those two get mischievous sometimes after spending a lot of time together. Tony tends to be…childish, sometimes. It helps him blow off steam." Rhodey explained. Upon remembering the phone conversation, I realized there may have been a bit of detectable deceit in Pepper's voice that I may have been too excited to hear.

"Ooh, that's sneaky…but why is it so humorous to leave us alone for an extended period of time?" I asked. I've seen more exciting pranks from Pepper before.

"Now that I think about it, I don't know…" Rhodey responded.

"Weird…"

We were silent for a moment in thought.

"Well anyways, we're going to sneak up on them in the lab."

"How'd you know where they are?"

"It's pretty easy to predict Tony once you get to knowing him. Or, if you're me, if you know him better than he knows himself sometimes." Rhodey explained, his little joke putting a smile on my face.

~…~

After the cab ride ended, and Rhodey offered to take some of Tess's luggage, the two headed down to the lab to surprise their mischievous friends.

"Wait, wait, when did the lab move locations?" Tess asked.

"Oh, after it got blown up Tony hatched the idea to move it to an abandoned Makluan temple- we told you about that whole adventure. But long story short, Tony rebuilt the lab."

"By himself? Impressive." Tess responded.

"Yeah, I was impressed too." Rhodey responded. They reached the lab door and Rhodey unlocked it with the passcode. As the door slid open, Rhodey and Tess spotted Tony and Pepper leaning against the dashboard for the computer, laughing their heads off. Rhodey and Tess stood in the doorway as the door slid closed behind them. It took a minute for the laughter to calm down, but once it did, Tony and Pepper finally noticed the two.

"Oh, Tess, hey! Good to see you, how long have you been here?" Pepper said happily.

"Oh, just long enough…" Tess responded with a smirk.

"W-why? I thought you were going to wait at Rhodey's place until we came." Pepper responded nervously.

"Yeah. There's an actual Iron Man emergency. Why did you think we'd be here?" Tony chimed in.

"Because I know you, dude, and you're a terrible liar. I could totally tell you were lying. I just played along to humor you." Rhodey explained.

"Well, aren't you a party pooper." Tony said, crossing his arms. As Pepper gave Tony a quick peck on the cheek and a 'see you later,' she went to take Tess back to the Potts apartment to settle in.

"Just one question though…" Rhodey asked.

"What's that?" Tony responded.

"If you guys were pulling a prank on us, what's the humor behind making me get her from the airport and forcing us to be alone?" Rhodey asked, confused. Tony, not wanting his friend to let on to his secret plan to hook Rhodey and Tess up, suddenly grew nervous.

"U-uhh, nothing, don't worry about it…" Tony answered nervously.

"No, seriously, why?"

"Don't worry about it." Tony said as he put his hands behind his back and walked out of the armory. Rhodey, following him, found his curiosity peaked as he continued to pry the answer out of his friend.

**Aannd that concludes tonight's episode of Tess Returns. Didn't really know where to stop, so I decided upon this lovely little spot right here. Sorry it wasn't such a quick update, I've been so busy with school starting up again. We all know how that goes. Good old high school…especially since it's my junior year, and as everyone knows, that's the hardest one. So yeah…the slowness may continue. **

**But anyways, review!**


	3. All This Alone Time

The next day, Tess was hanging out with Tony and Rhodey in the lab. Pepper was testing some repairs to the Rescue armor that Tony had made (because of course Tony was extra-cautious with her and her armor). Rhodey and Tess were sitting back, watching Tony obsess over nothing because he still wasn't quite used to her having a suit; teasing him while he wasn't paying attention.

"Is he always this much of a worry wart?" Tess asked with a smile on his face.

"Oh, only when it comes to Pepper. It's not even this bad when he worries about his dad…and _that's_ saying something." Rhodey responded.

"Geez. He really cares about her. Isn't he annoyed by all his constant worrying?"

"Oh you know it. But he makes up for it with everything else he does for her. Besides, she knows it's only because he cares." Rhodey explained. The two were silent for a moment before Tess's curiosity got the best of her, and she spoke up.

"Why…why do you think they set us up alone at the airport the other day? J-just, you know, wondering." Tess asked shyly. Her question caused both of them to go quiet again, bright red blushes on each person's cheeks.

"I-I dunno, maybe it was just another one of their pranks. They have been pulling a few lately."

"But how funny is it to leave two people alone together? The last time anyone did that would be us with those two last year, and that was to get them together." Tess explained. Her statement caused the two to become severely silent, as well as their blushes darkening.

Tony, having heard the conversation going on behind him, smirked at the computer screen as he hatched another idea.

"Hang on Pep, I'm gonna suit up. I'll explain when I get over there." Tony said. Pepper sighed, thinking it was more of his overprotective behavior. Once Tony was armored up and flying her way, he connected with her comm. Systems.

"So why did you armor up?" She asked.

"Oh, Rhodey and Tess got awkward because they're being the way we used to be before we were dating." Tony explained. "So I decided to give them some more alone time."

"Aw, you're just so thoughtful aren't you?" Pepper teased with a smile. Tony found her and the two decided to mess around a little.

Back at the lab, Rhodey and Tess noticed Tony quickly armor up and leave, making their awkward encounter even more awkward. Neither knew what to do, or what to say.

"Do you think…" Tess began, instead pausing to re-gather the courage to ask such a simple yet complicated question.

"Do you think that maybe…I don't know, maybe…they're _trying_ to set us up?" Tess asked. The two immediately became silent.

"Pfft, no way!" Rhodey scoffed, causing Tess to join in. Their fake disbelief in the theory seemed to relieve the tension Tess's question had created between them; although with Tony and Pepper scheming constantly, it wouldn't last long, and Rhodey and Tess both knew it.

The trick was admitting they knew.

~…~

Tony and Pepper, after having patrolled the city for a while, decided to take a seat on the roof of Stark Tower and relax while they deviously left their friends alone.

"So do you think they're actually doing anything right now?" Pepper asked curiously.

"Naw, probably not. By this point, Rhodey's probably just realizing he likes Tess but too nervous to do anything about it. He may have pushed at us getting together, but when it comes to his own relationships, he gets shy." Tony explained.

"Eh, Tess has never been in a real relationship before anyways." Pepper responded. "She's had one week flings with guys, but after the week was up she would realize she doesn't like him and move on. But I think she's really going to like Rhodey. Only one thing is bothering me, though…"

"What's that?" Tony asked.

"The long-distance thing. Tess lives in West Virginia. Even if they do start dating, how are they going to make a long-distance thing work?" Pepper asked worriedly.

"They'll find a way," Tony said. "There's always a way."

And with that, the two decided to stop torturing their friends and return to the lab so they could hang out for the rest of the night.

**K so, I'm gonna level with you guys here. I don't really know what to do with this story so I'm basically making it up as I go along. So yeah, that means expect a lot of short chapters like these. There's not going to be any other plotline developing besides Rhodey and Tess's relationship…so yeeahh…review?**


	4. Authors Note

**Okay, so here's the deal. I realize I haven't updated this story in literally a month, but I'm trying my best right now. Things have been really busy since school started and they're only about to get busier in the next week or so. So while I will try my best to finish writing up the chapter I'm working on, I can't promise it'll be up anytime soon. **

**It's not really just because I'm busy, either. You guys just have to understand my situation…I've been writing on FF and FP for over four years (I'm pretty sure) and I've written close to 200 stories. The creative juices are running dry, and I'm trying my best to get more great ideas out. But it's not easy. So pleeease bear with me for a while? I've seen some loyal fans in the past and I really appreciate that they've stuck with me while I've been a terribly sucky updater. And I love that you guys are constantly faving my stuff and leaving reviews, it really does make me smile. **

**So thanks for hanging in while I make people mad by updating slowly, I really appreciate it. I love you all! Hopefully I'll be updating again soon!**


	5. Coming to Conclusions Pt1: Rhodey

That night, Rhodey lay awake in his bed, thinking about the day's events. The obviously ridiculous notion that Tony and Pepper were planning to set him up with Tess seemed to be sitting in his brain, unwilling to budge. And Rhodey was beginning to get annoyed. Such a notion was ridiculous; Tess was a girl from another state visiting her friend who had moved to the big city. He was a boy who had lived in said big city his whole life and would not get along quite _that _well with a rural girl. There was just no way it'd work. _I barely know her. I can't possibly have _feelings _for her. Ridiculous._

_But, if it's so ridiculous, why am I losing sleep over it?_

~…~

Across town, in the inner-city Potts apartment, Tess sat up in the bed in the guest room, scrolling through her phone. She had discovered a sudden inability to sleep, so she decided to lay awake and think awhile until she fell asleep. She thought about how eventful her trip to New York had been. Back home, after she had gotten home from the first trip last year, she had described (leaving out the detail of her new friends being Iron Man and War Machine, as well as her intuition about the identity of Rescue once she had been sighted for the first time) all the fun she had had. The part that had her vexed was her friends back home making the assumption that she had feelings for Rhodey. It was silly. They were getting to be good friends, sure, but weren't all four of them?

Her self-induced arguments were anything but settling, however. She had had plenty of crushes before, so she knew how she would feel if she actually _had _a crush on Rhodey…

So she thought. But no matter how much she convinced herself she was right about her crush, she knew somewhere deep inside herself that she was dead wrong.

~…~

The next day, Tony and Pepper were hanging out in the armory when Rhodey stumbled tiredly in, yawning deeply.

"Someone's tired. Did you get any sleep last night?" Tony asked with a smirk. Rhodey smirked briefly at the ironic switch in roles between the two. It was weird to think that now Tony was the one almost parenting him, even if it was just because Tony was teasing him for several reasons.

Yes, it was true, the young African-American boy hadn't gotten much more than five hours' worth of solid sleep. Any time more than that was spent tossing, turning and thinking. But he wasn't about to tell Tony that- no, he knew he'd never hear the end of it.

"Yeah…just not as much as I wanted." Rhodey answered. Tony's smirk turned into a smile. Pepper tried to hold back her urge to giggle, as they both knew what that was code for. Tony chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to the large computer screen to get back to what he had been doing.

"What's that look for?" Rhodey asked, arms folded.

"What look?" Tony asked, trying not to laugh, although a wide grin remained on his face.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't think you know what I'm thinking. You think that just because you guys have been running around purposely leaving me alone with Tess, that means you know I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking of her. Because I definitely _wasn't._" Rhodey said defensively. Tony and Pepper snickered to each other.

"What makes you think that's it? You just missed a really funny joke is all. It was _so_ funny. We can't stop laughing." Tony lied. He knew Rhodey wasn't usually stubborn about these things like he himself was, but he knew that with the mood Rhodey had stumbled in with, he should tread lightly with it.

"Yeah, right. Come on, dude, that's totally what you guys are thinking." Rhodey said, staring them down.

"Alright, alright, so maybe we are. But if you can pester me about liking Pepper I can pester you about liking Tess." Tony responded.

"You can't blame us, you guys really would make a cute couple. Plus I'm pretty sure she likes you too." Pepper added.

"Wait really? She does?" Rhodey asked hopefully. Tony and Pepper burst out in laughter at Rhodey's sudden excitedness.

"Oh dude, you totally can't deny it anymore. You totally like her!" Tony said as his laughter died down. He noticed the embarrassed expression on his friend's face and stopped his laughter, giving Rhodey a supportive pat on the back.

"It's okay if you do, dude. We're done teasing you. I just kinda felt bad that you were being third-wheeled ever since Pepper and I started dating." Tony explained, being serious now.

"And I thought you and Tess would be cute together, so we decided to set you up." Pepper added. Rhodey wasn't mad at his friends, he knew they meant well. And truth be told, he did feel left out at times when Pepper and Tony wanted to spend time alone together. And when that did happen, he found that all he did was sit at home and watch television all night. And even when the three of them did hang out, he had started to feel like a third wheel. And as much as he wanted to start dating, he had just never found anyone he liked enough to give a chance. After he had become War Machine, things had gotten too busy for a girlfriend anyways.

But now things were…different. When he had met Tess last summer, he knew there was something different about her than the other girls he had met. Call it her rural-born personality, as opposed to all the urban girls he had met throughout his life, but he knew there was something there.

And truth be told, after having spent as much time as he did trying to redeem Whitney because he knew he had feelings for her, he hadn't exactly _wanted _to be in a relationship. He had realized just how much time he had wasted trying to redeem someone who was bound to be a lost cause, just because she wasn't willing to let go of the power she had, no matter how insane it was making her. So he had forgotten about all his dating thoughts for a while. So once he had been reunited with Tess, everything had managed to resurface all at once. His mind had been flooded with thoughts of not only the last time Tess visited, which had stuffed his mind full of enough thoughts on its own, so when on top of that his thoughts on dating and his era of crushing on Whitney had come with those, it didn't help his case.

_Now I know how Tony feels when he's overwhelmed…_

"Well I appreciate the effort, guys, but I don't think it's gonna happen…" Rhodey said.

"Why not? She likes you, you like her. There's no reason why it can't happen." Pepper responded.

"Well, first of all, she lives in West Virginia, which is pretty far away from New York, and long distance relationships never really work out in the end, and second of all it would be even harder on top of that when I'm War Machine." Rhodey explained.

"So, my boyfriend is Iron Man and I manage just fine. I think Tess can too. Plus, we're all seniors, and I think I remember her telling me once that she wants to go to college in New York so she can hang out with us more. So the long distance thing would only be for a little while." Pepper explained.

"Yeah, well, your boyfriend also gave you your own suit of armor and you're too in love with him to let that get in your way. But I still don't know. It's not really easy to start in a long-distance relationship…they just never work out. It always ends up being too hard to be that far apart." Rhodey said.

"You face and defeat highly dangerous criminals on a daily basis, while managing school and family life and you call this hard? This should be easy for a superhero like you! Come on, Rhodey, just give it a chance! I promise, you'll be glad you did, no matter how it ends." Pepper insisted.

"Alright, if you won't be motivated by that, just think of it this way. If I can get a girlfriend, so can you." Tony added. Rhodey smirked at his friend's comment. It was true; it was rare for a girl to come along that liked Tony enough to stick by his side through all he had put his friends through (although none of that stuff was _really_ his fault).

Before Rhodey could respond, Tess walked into the armory, shuffling to her three friends tiredly, similarly to how Rhodey had entered not too long ago. Tony and Pepper smiled to Rhodey, an expression that hinted a 'good luck' to their friend as they walked past the two.

"Oh, hey Tess, we'll be right back. I have to…uhh…help my dad with some business stuff and Pepper wanted to come along." Tony said quickly as the two headed for the door.

Rhodey heaved a big sigh as he leaned against the keyboard panel by the computer, watching Tess as she waved happily yet tiredly at him.

**I know what you're thinking- "finally, she updated! Took you long enough!" Yeah, sorry. Stuffs been busy. You know how high school is. Plus its my junior year, which is supposed to be the hardest (and so far it really is)…and all that good stuff. Plus I have extra-curriculars too, so altogether I get pretty busy. But hey, I managed this update, although the chapter may be kinda boring. Sorry if it is, I tried my best and I think its pretty good. Plus I might have a oneshot coming soon…idk, I have to finish it and look it over. But stay tuned (hopefully). So review?**


	6. Coming to Conclusions Pt2: Tess

Tess and Pepper sat down on the couch after a day of hanging out and having fun. They were ready to sit back and spend the rest of the night catching up on how things are back in West Virginia while watching their favorite movies.

"So, you and Tony are doing pretty well for going on a year together…you're welcome, by the way." Tess said with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, we're great," Pepper said enthusiastically. "But what about you? Got a hubby lately? Someone in mind?" She asked, nudging Tess.

"Me? No, I have no love life. I wouldn't even consider _liking _any of the boys back home. You know how they are." Tess explained.

"Aw, come on, I know you like someone. Someone all four of us know…" Pepper said with a playful smile.

"What, I don't like anyone. Didn't I just say that?" Tess asked defensively.

"Tess, I had a crush on _Tony_, king of denial, for like two years before we got together. I know denial when I see it." Pepper responded.

"I'm _NOT _in denial. I don't even know who you possibly think I'd have a crush on." Tess responded quickly and nervously.

"Oh, he's tall, dark, acts like Tony's mom a lot…" Pepper said with a smile.

"What? No, you're crazy. I definitely do _not _have a _crush _on _Rhodey_." Tess argued, a deep red blush coloring her cheeks rather quickly.

"Oh, you don't?" Pepper said, arms crossed and brow raised quizzically.

"I don't!" Tess argued back.

"You sure?" Pepper asked with a smirk.

"_Positive._" Tess responded angrily, arms crossed.

"Wanna think about it?"

"NO."

"You may not _want_ to, but you are anyways, aren't you?"

"I told you, I _don't _like him!" Tess yelled defensively. Pepper dropped her arms to her side and smiled.

"Tess, it's _okay _to like him. I'm just teasing you; I can just as easily shut up." Pepper said. Tess was silent for a few minutes in thought, considering all the encounters she had had with Rhodey and how said encounters had made her feel; researching the feelings she had failed to notice all along.

"Oh, how are you supposed to know stuff like this anyways? Its not easy like it was with you and Tony." Tess said.

"Don't compare my relationship with the one you desire, Tess. Just because I knew from the start that I had feelings for Tony doesn't mean it was easy, Tony struggled with his feelings on top of a lot of other stuff. But that's the cold hard truth, love isn't easy. The challenge is finding someone that makes you want to make it work. If Rhodey makes you feel that way, I'm more than okay with it. I'm just teasing." Pepper explained.

"I know, I know, but its so hard to be sure. How did you know you liked Tony?" Tess asked.

"I don't know, I just knew. Look, relationships are easier for some people than they are for others. I knew when I first met Tony that I felt something special. It's not like that for other people." Pepper explained. Tess sighed.

"I guess you're right…" She said tiredly.

"Trust me, Tess, you won't regret it." Pepper said confidently.

"Yeah, sure sure. But what about when I have to go back to West Virginia? It's at least an hour by plane. It's about eight and a half hours by car. I've tried long distance, it never works."

"Well, we're graduating soon aren't we? Just get through senior year of high school then come to New York for college." Pepper suggested.

"I dunno…"

"Tess, if you like him enough, you'll find a way to make it work." Pepper said as she stood, patted Tess's arm and went to the kitchen to get a drink. Tess sat back on the couch and let out a big sigh.

_This stuff is hard._

~…~

The next day, Pepper was ready to head over to the lab to hang out with the boys for a while.

"Tess? Come on, aren't you coming with me?" Pepper called through the closed door of the guest bedroom where Tess was staying.

"No." Tess responded through the closed door.

"Come on, you have to. You just have to go up to him and say 'hey, I like you'. It may seem hard to get started, but once you just take a deep breath and start saying it the rest will flow easily." Pepper said.

"I can't do it! I won't!" Tess called. Pepper tried opening the bedroom door to find that it was locked.

"Fine, act immature…I'm going to head down to the lab. Come down when you've grown up a little?" Pepper said.

"Fine." Tess responded. Pepper sighed and headed down to the lab.

Once she got there, she found Tony and Rhodey doing their usual. Tony was working on the armor while Rhodey hung out. And so their conversation began, proceeding to convince Rhodey to admit his feelings to Tess, just as Pepper had done the night before.

So the cards were dealt- as Tess walked in, Tony and Pepper gave them the alone time they needed.

Rhodey heaved a big sigh as he leaned against the keyboard panel by the computer, watching Tess as she waved happily yet tiredly at him.

**So yeah. Sorry this took so long. I was going to post it like last week, but you all know how slow I can be…and earlier this week the hurricane knocked out my power for like four hours, and last night I had huge cramps and felt too crappy to do anything…but it's all good tonight, and I finally got it done. And yeah, I managed to squeeze out another chapter. But I think one or two is all its gonna get. **

**PS- For all those who have heard about Hurricane Sandy ransacking the east coast of the US: I live in NY, so I can tell what I know about Sandy from the local news I don't live in New York City, I live a few hours away from the city. So where I am has been safe, although our power was out for at least four hours Monday night. I had no school yesterday (Tuesday the 30****th****), and by the time I woke up in the morning it was very calm and the worst of the storm had passed. It's not exactly sunny yet, but it's not windy anymore and it's not rainy at all really. Just cloudy…**

**Monday night was when Sandy was in New Jersey/NYC, and those areas have had flooding and quite a bit of damage. I saw that in New Jersey there was property damage and in NYC there was more flooding problems. The subway systems were all flooded and air traffic is still pretty backed up around the east coast. But I think it's slowly picking up again…from what I heard there were pretty big storm surges. Some up to 14 feet, I guess. **

**But I just wanted to let people know about the situation and that everything's all good. My sympathy goes to the rest of the east coast, around DC and Virginia and New Jersey, and NYC. All Sandy victims. And such…**

**So happy trails!**

**Oh- and happy Halloween! I was hoping to post a oneshot for the holiday, but I never got around to it ): Oh well...XD Hope everyone's candy is delicious!  
**


	7. Perfect Endings

Rhodey watched as Tess walked closer to him. As Tony and Pepper left the armory, an awkward silence filled the room. They both knew that there was only one thing they were going to say; the problem was saying it.

Tess leaned on the back of a seat across the room from Rhodey. For a moment that seemed to last a very long time (in a bad way).

~…~

As soon as Tony and Pepper left the lab, Pepper grabbed Tony's hand and dragged him through the temple to a spot she had discovered one day that was the perfect spot to sit in to see into the lab without being seen.

"Why are we spying on them?" Tony whispered with a smirk on his face. How he did so love her gimmicks…and her…

"Because I really want them to get together. Tess kinda needs a boyfriend…" Pepper said.

"Now that I think about it, Rhodey could probably benefit from having a girlfriend..."

Pepper giggled and went back to watching the two in the armory.

~…~

"Look, I-" Rhodey and Tess said at the same time.

"Oh, uh, go ahead." Rhodey said. They were silent for a brief moment before Tess began to speak.

"Look, I know we're both thinking the same thing right now, and I don't want to go home without saying it or else I'll never say it, and I'll regret it." Tess began. Rhodey knew what she was going to say, and he knew she was right. "I really like you, and I hope you feel the same way, and-"

"I really want to see where things to with us." They said in unison. Tess smiled.

"You can live as far as California, for all I care, I just want to be with you." Rhodey finished.

"How interesting of you to say that, I'm actually moving there next week." Tess said with a smile. Rhodey gave her a scared look that said 'woah, seriously?'

"Relax, I was kidding." Tess said with a laugh, hitting him lightly and playfully on the arm. Rhodey sighed in relief, which made Tess giggle more.

The two were silent for a moment, the air of awkwardness starting to return.

"Aw, kiss her already loser!" Pepper shouted, making Tony chuckle. Rhodey and Tess looked up to see Tony and Pepper peeking over a ledge a little higher up. Rhodey and Tess laughed at their child-like friends before getting quiet again.

The two looked at each other for a moment before they stepped closer and grabbed each other's hand.

"So, ready to give it a shot?" Rhodey asked after a small sigh.

"Ready when you are."

There was a pause before they moved in closer to each other and locked lips; an exchange that had been awaited ever since Tess's first visit to the big city.

"Finally!" Pepper shouted, causing Tony to chuckle.

"Oh, like you guys can talk." Rhodey shouted back as the two parted, still holding on to Tess's hand and crossing his arms, smirking up to them. Tony and Pepper immediately quieted, as Rhodey had made a pretty good point. Rhodey looked back to Tess and smiled.

Life was pretty good right about now.

~…~

After Pepper and Tess decided to head home, Rhodey and Tony were walking home. Tony caught his best friend smiling.

"Someone's happy." Tony said.

"Hey, why wouldn't I be? Life was good before, but now it's a heck of a lot better." Rhodey responded. Tony smiled and patted his friend on the back.

**Sorry for this being so short, but this is seriously like, all I could think of. Sorry. /: Hey, I wanted more too, but I have an epilogue plan I want to write, and…well, I think we've all heard my 'perfect format' speech about a dozen times…so yeah…that. Anyways, eyes out for epilogues! Review!**


	8. Epilogue

The next day, it was time for Tess to catch her flight back home, so the gang went with her to the airport to say their goodbyes.

"This week went by so fast, I can't believe it's already time to go home…ugh, but home seems so boring compared to here. You guys are so interesting."

"Yeah, well go to college here and the fun never has to end." Tony suggested. "You know at least I'll always be here."

"Excuse me, mister, but I can't live where you don't." Pepper added.

"Right, so Pepper too."

"Hey, and me." Rhodey chimed in.

"I wish my parents and I would move here…"

The four teens were silent for a few moments before Tess checked her phone for the time.

"Well, I gotta go find my gate, so I guess this is goodbye." She said.

"Yeah…I guess we'll see you next summer." Tony said, giving Tess a quick hug; Pepper did the same after.

"Call me when you get home, don't forget!" Pepper said.

"Will do. See you guys as soon as I can." Tess said as Tony and Pepper left so Rhodey and Tess could be alone.

The two were quiet for a moment.

"So, I guess this is goodbye." Tess said.

"Yeah." Rhodey said quietly.

"But hey, we'll keep in touch as much as we can. We can video chat every night." Tess suggested.

"Yeah, and I can always call you." Rhodey added.

"And don't forget texting."

"Right, right." Tess said quietly. "See, long distance can work. It's only for a year, right?"

"Right."

"So…bye."

"Yeah. See you next year."

The two were quiet once again, mostly looking at their own feet as an air of awkwardness arose around them. Tess quickly kissed Rhodey and ran off to find her gate, looking over her shoulder and waving as she walked away.

It was a good summer, thought Rhodey.

**Hey, epilogues are meant to be short right? Story's over…it took me long enough to actually write this up, don't be expecting gold outta me…XP review?**


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